The UK’s Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has referred Nicholas Williams, a former Freshfields partner, to its Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in the wake of allegations of inappropriate conduct that took place while he still worked at the firm, in December 2017.
Law.com International has additional details:
In its decision, announced on Monday, the SRA said that Williams engaged in conduct towards an individual known only as ‘person A’ which it says was “inappropriate and unwanted”. …
In 2019, Law.com International reported … Williams had left the firm following an internal investigation into his behaviour. Sources at the time said that the allegations were “me too” related, referring to the #MeToo movement that spotlighted inappropriate behaviour directed against women.
“We are not a party to the SDT, or any related proceedings,” a Freshfields spokesperson said. “The individual left the firm over four years ago. At the time, we looked into the concerns raised and took appropriate action.”
Shortly following his departure in 2019 — as well as the extreme inappropriate behavior of ex-partner Ryan Beckwith around the same time — Freshfields instituted new conduct rules for partners, which, according to Law.com International, are inclusive of “fines of 20% of their profit share.”
Ex-Freshfields Partner to Go Before Tribunal After Inappropriate Behaviour Allegation [Law.com International]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
